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Review: The Masked Princess

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I signed up for an ARC of The Masked Princess  by Melody Crane  without knowing much except that it's a no-spice fantasy book about a princess. It was a little darker than I expected, with a plot revolving around a princess cursed to kill anyone she touches. The charming romance made up for the darker elements with a sweet courtship between childhood friends. The book was a bit longer than I would have preferred, but the writing was solid, with a detailed setting revolving around royal politics and rival kingdoms. Princess Annalise is a kind soul with deadly powers. Anyone who makes skin-to-skin contact with her will die a gruesome death. She wears gloves at all times and tries to keep her distance from the people around her. To make matters worse, she is forced to cover her face with a mask due to a false claim that she caused a miscarriage by coughing too close to someone. The mask serves as a constant reminder of her curse, making her ashamed to show her face in public. Thi...
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Final Thoughts on Goodbye, Lara

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Although hundreds of new anime series come out every year, Goodbye, Lara  was special. It was a contemporary incarnation of only a few animated shows from the past few decades inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid."  It will stand alongside future commentaries about the Disney and Saban series to analyze the impact that this 200-year-old fairy tale had on past generations. Now that the series has ended, I have some thoughts I'd like to share about its impact on "Little Mermaid" lore from the past, present, and future. Goodbye, Lara is a contemporary take on "The Little Mermaid" that portrays the titular mermaid, Lara, being reincarnated in modern-day Japan. However, it celebrates the story's older roots by taking advantage of the longer lifespan of merfolk and covering several centuries' worth of their lives, beginning with the prince who initially betrayed Lara in the 1800s, when the fairy tale was originally written. ...
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Review: Of Ice and Promises

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My latest ARC from Beyond the Bookery's Twist of Tales series is Of Ice and Promises by Jenny A. Bee . This book is a gender-bent, magicless retelling of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," which sounded like a pretty big challenge. Fortunately, she was up to the task and wrote a convincing story that drew enough elements from the fairy tale to be familiar while replacing all the magic and trolls with real objects and people. I have to admit I was impressed with how well this story worked under such rigid guidelines. The premise of this book works well as a retelling of "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," but the circumstances of the male protagonist also reminded me of a lesser-known Brothers Grimm fairy tale, "The Story of a Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear"  also known as "The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers."  Both stories are about a boy who agreed to stay in a stranger's mansion under mysterious conditions ...
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Review: Ties of Deception

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When I first saw the covers for the Tethered Hearts multi-author series , I was the most intrigued by  Ties of Deception  by Alice Ivinya . Something about the pose and expressions on the characters' faces made me curious to know more. It took over a year before I finally found the opportunity to read this book, but it was well worth the wait! It instantly climbed the ranks to become one of my favorites from the series . It has an original and engaging story with beautiful imagery and strong ties to Asian culture  and the  Hades and Persephone myth. The story begins with a goddess awakening in the body of a fully grown woman with no memories of her past or identity. A family tells her about her role to bless the kingdom by spreading joy. She discovers that her name is Purity, one of many Graces who bless families in the surrounding lands. The more she learns about her role, the more corruption she uncovers in the society surrounding them. When she is brought before ...
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Review: A Fable of Desolation and Do-Overs

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Of all the ARCs I received so far from the Dungeons and Legends series, A Fable of Desolation and Do-Overs by Sydney Winward  is the closest interpretation to an actual RPG. This book takes place in a Dungeons and Dragons-inspired world with elves, magic, and monsters. It follows a video game-style quest that feels like it came straight out of a modern anime  and covers everything from time travel to tyrannical monarchs to apocalyptic catastrophes while still having time for an endearing romance and a cute animal sidekick. Though I wasn't familiar with the story of Koschei the Deathless  that inspired this book, it drew more elements from anime and RPG tropes that I know quite well. Our story begins after the worst has already happened. The wicked force plaguing the elf kingdom took many lives. A heroic elf named Lirael uses a magic crystal to go back in time and try to prevent it from happening again. He teams up with his brother, Myrren, and together, they seek ...
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Review: Of Shadows and Snow

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My next ARC from Beyond the Bookery's Twist of Tales is Of Shadows and Snow  by Kaytlin Phillips . This book is a gender-bent retelling of "The Snow Queen"  with no magic and strong religious undertones. It's a darker story compared to the other books I've read from this series. It has a male lead who struggles with a heart condition, something I don't see often in fairy tale retellings. Although the book doesn't have a lot of levity, it concludes with a message of hope. After being wrongfully accused of murdering the king her served, a broken man named Koa escapes to a neighboring kingdom, where he befriends Princess Emalyn and her brother, Prince Gaelen. Ashamed of his tragic past, he keeps the dark secret from them until the vengeful king's son begins attacking Koa's people and takes Princess Emalyn captive to force her to form an alliance with him. Soon, Koa's tragic past is revealed to Gaelen, who must decide if he trusts him enough to h...
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Review: Of Pine and Pretense

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Of Pine and Pretense  by Laurie Lucking is another ARC I received in the Twist of Tales  series from Beyond the Bookery . This book is a non-magical retelling of "Rumpelstiltskin" with heavy inspiration from Cyrano de Bergerac . It's a beautifully written story full of twists and turns with a proactive heroine at its heart. I enjoyed reading it from the princess's perspective and following her journey alongside her. Having enjoyed the recent musical adaptation of Cyrano , the incorporation of those elements made the book unique as a fairy tale retelling. Princess Deirdre has never forgotten her former sweetheart, Oran, who lost touch with her after getting drafted for a war. She looks for signs of his return everywhere she goes and finally discovers one in a marketplace where she recognizes his craftsmanship on a chest for sale. Jumping at the opportunity for a long-awaited reunion, she asks the shopkeeper to recruit the craftsman to work on a cathedral her kingdom...
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Review: Of Knives and Nobility

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Of Knives and Nobility  by E.G. Bella is another ARC I received from Beyond the Bookery 's new series, A Twist of Tales . It's meant to be a gender-bent retelling of "The Princess and the Pea,"  but it reminded me more of "Snow White" and "Rapunzel" due to having a malicious and abusive queen. The narrative is done very well with a dual POV between the prince and princess that allows readers to get to know both characters. It's filled with action, suspense, and romance, culminating in a thrilling adventure with strong moral values. Prince Fenrick feels discouraged after his brother's wedding when he realizes he gave up on a great opportunity for a marriage alliance with Princess Ellina. Since then, Ellina's mother has made it nearly impossible for suitors to reach her by giving them impossible tests to earn her daughter's hand. Desperate to prove his own worth, Fenrick volunteers himself for the tasks and grows closer to Ellina i...
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Review: A Fable of Riddles and Redemption

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A Fable of Riddles and Redemption  by Sara Farnsworth was the third ARC I received from the upcoming Dungeons and Legends series , and it quickly became a new favorite. As someone who thoroughly enjoyed her Realms of Caelia series , I was thrilled to see Odile from   Lake of the Wild Swans  return as the main character. Her brief appearance in that book stood out to me, and I was eager to learn more about her story. A Fable of Riddles and Redemption  combines the musical and book versions of Phantom of the Opera with the fairy tale, "The Pied Piper," making for a fun combination that perfectly balances darker and lighter elements, complete with a surprise RPG-style dungeon at the end. The story begins with Odile, a victim of circumstance from the author's previous book, Lake of the Wild Swans , changing her name to Zorina and hoping to start a new life without harming others through her magic. She gets a modest job in the village when the shop is invaded by thievi...
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Review: A Fable of Moonlight and Memory

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A Fable of Moonlight and Memory  by Ashley Evercott is the second ARC I received from the upcoming Dungeons and Legends series. This book is closer to the LitRPG format that the series uses for its aesthetic than the first one was. It is also a retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood,"  which makes for an interesting combination. The plot reminded me of the storyline of Final Fantasy XIII, but with werewolves. Like the first book in this series, it's a fun, spooky read for Halloween with some darker themes. Mira lives in an enchanted fae-like world and notices a dangerous rot poisoning the enchanted plants, which should be an ill omen for everyone living in her kingdom. The trouble is, nobody believes her or cares what she has to say about it. After her grandmother goes missing following monster sightings in the woods, she decides to investigate the disturbances on her own. Her search leads her to Falimir, a werewolf who knows the truth behind these mysteries and leads her...
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Review: A Fable of Brie and Blood

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A Fable of Brie and Blood  by Scarlett Luna Strange was the first ARC I received from the upcoming Dungeons and Legends series, which is supposed to be a series of lesser-known fairy tales or myths inspired by RPGs and video games. I say "supposed to be" because this book had nothing to do with RPGs as far as I can tell, as someone who has been in DnD and Pathfinder campaigns and wrote a book inspired by Final Fantasy games . This made the pixelated "Start" icon at the beginning of each chapter feel a little out of place. That said, it was a fun spooky murder mystery and a great read to kick off the Halloween season. This book was inspired by an obscure story called "To Find a Bride," which, according to the author's notes, is about a king selecting a bride based on the way she eats cheese. It was a very creative choice to turn into a novel, and she did a great job with it. The book begins with King Cassian selecting a bride based on his mother's ...
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Review: Of Dreams and Desires

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I signed up for ARCs of the upcoming Beyond the Bookery series of fairy tale retellings called A Twist of Tales .  Of Dreams and Desires  by Riley J. Perrie was the first one I received. This book is a gender-bent retelling of a lesser-known Brothers Grimm fairy tale called "The Raven."  The story gets props for originality. It is the first adaptation I've seen of this particular fairy tale. However, there was some tonal dissonance between the narrative style, which was presented more like a Bridgerton  gossip column, and the story itself, which was a whimsical fantasy, which made it difficult for me to follow as a reader. Aruelia (not a typo even though I kept wanting to read it as Aurelia) enters a bridal competition to win the hand of her former beau, Prince Theodore, whom she grew apart from over the years. Meanwhile, Theodore is cursed to become a raven and must rely on having a successful competition to break the spell. One bride, in particular, is determined...
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Everything's Coming Up Mermaids!

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There are many new mermaid announcements for the upcoming Halloween season. As a long-time fan of mermaid princesses , I'm excited to share all of them with you! The first is that Netflix's  Mermaid Magic  just dropped a teaser for its long-awaited second season. Produced by the same animation studio as Winx Club , Mermaid Magic premiered almost exactly two years ago and introduced a new kind of Magical Girl  that can adapt to both land and sea with magic armor that customizes to both their human and mermaid forms. Check out the preview for the new season below. Merlinda, Sasha, and Nerissa are back to face new threats both above and below the water. It looks like this season will have a heavier focus on high school drama, as the stereotypical "mean girl" from the show threatens to reveal their secret. It gives off strong H2O: Just Add Water vibes. At the beginning of the teaser, Merlinda says that going back to her mermaid kingdom would put more merfolk at risk, so...
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Review: Not Another Happily Ever After

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Not Another Happily Ever After  by A.R. Schilling was promoted as a retelling of Corpse Bride  with a sprinkling of other fairy tales. As a massive Corpse Bride  fan  and a lover of fairy tales, I knew I had to check it out. However, this recent release has virtually nothing to do with the story of the innocent young maiden who is betrayed by a former lover and seeks love again in the afterlife. Instead, it's about a princess cursed to live in a decaying body who seeks to escape an unwanted arranged marriage. There's nothing wrong with this storyline  per se, but from there, the book proceeds to jump around without sticking to a consistent narrative. Instead of Corpse Bride , I would have used Cursed Princess Club  as a comparison, although the similarities are also only surface-deep there as well. \ Before I dive into the story, I'd like to point out that I absolutely love the artistic vision for this book. I've always been a fan of Gothic romance and fas...
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Review: LEGO Disney Princess - Magical Mahem

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Disney wrapped up World Princess Week today with a new LEGO special on Disney+ . Magical Mayhem  is another princess tag team special featuring all the original Disney Princess voices in a zany animated LEGO adventure. This 22-minute animated feature had much lower stakes than the previous two . Instead of dangerous vengeful villains, the princesses faced off against a big rainstorm and a mischievous Cheshire Cat. The whole special took place at their castle, which they share with each other. The concept of all the princesses hanging out together started with Wreck-It Ralph 2  and continues to gain traction through the references to the Princess Council in Sofia the First: Royal Magic . The overall scope of this special is smaller than the other two, in which the princesses faced off against dragons and saved entire kingdoms. This special focused on quick pacing and snappy humor to appeal to the TikTok generation. It was chock-full of references to the movies the characters o...
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Sofia the First Brings Back Rapunzel, Mermaids, and More!

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Five new episodes of Sofia the First: Royal Magic  launched during World Princess Week , and they contain quite a few nostalgia-based throwbacks to a number of different properties. Although the fast-paced reboot lacks the heart of the original series , it's still a wholesome and magical adventure that gives fans a taste of what they've been missing since it stopped airing. The first episode of the reboot teased a visit from Rapunzel , who returned briefly in the new episode "Crown Chaos." Yet, the return was lackluster at best, particularly due to the lack of Mandy Moore , who originated the character in both the Tangled  film and series. In the original Sofia the First series, princess cameos were a huge deal. They were rare and often appeared during hour-long specials, accompanied by songs and important guest stars. With Royal Magic's 10-minute episode formula, there's barely enough time to get excited about a princess's appearance before a new story be...
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Disney Teases Princess Experience, Frozen 3, and More at D23 Expo!

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It's information overload for princess fans this week as World Princess Week begins and the D23 Expo comes to a close . Last night, the Disney Princess Ultimate Concert Celebration aired on TV and is currently available to watch on YouTube . It clocks in at 20 minutes, which is double the length of last year's concert . New announcements and teasers got leaked all weekend long at the D23 Expo , and I'm here to round them up for you, starting with the most mysterious announcement of them all. Disney Theatrical Group has announced a Disney Princess Experience , with very little information as to what that actually means. Their official website includes a vague trailer and a mailing list, along with newly launched Facebook  and Instagram pages that only contain one post with the same vague trailer. Since the event is hosted by their theatrical department, it might draw inspiration from Andrew Lloyd Webber's recent Masquerade phenomenon , a new interactive experience that...
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Review: Castle of Broken Dreams

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I requested an ARC of  Castle of Broken Dreams  by A.R. Kaufer when I saw that it's a retelling of "Sleeping Beauty" and The Last Unicorn , which seemed like a whimsical and creative combination. This book absolutely delivers on its premise, though I wish it didn't contain spice so I could recommend it to the closed door community as well. Although I felt that the three brief spicy scenes interfered with the innocence of the overall story, it was a well-written book full of nostalgia for childhood stories and animation. What girl doesn't want to read more stories about faeries  and unicorns ? Aurora Rose is a powerful fae princess whose birth is celebrated throughout the land until she is cursed by the wicked sorcerer, Maleck, to prick her finger and die on her eighteenth birthday unless she agrees to marry him. The faery Alyssa (which is not a very faery-like name) amends the curse so she will fall into a death-like sleep instead, only to be awakened by true lo...
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Disney Prepares for World Princess Week with a Kickoff Concert!

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It's that time again ! World Princess Week  kicks off this Sunday with yet another Disneyland concert . It's become a recent tradition to have the original actresses of the Disney Princesses gather in Disneyland to perform their greatest hits for World Princess Week. Last year's concert, which was hosted by Once Upon a Time's Ginnifer Goodwin , was somewhat disappointing due to only being ten minutes long. This year's concert promises a little more substance with more than twice as many performers and a network television run on Sunday, August 16th at 8 PM Eastern Time/7PM Central. The concert will be available for streaming on Disney+ as well as several other services. The concert is being promoted as  Disney Princess: The Ultimate Concert Celebration , not to be confused with Disney Princess: The Concert , which was performed by actresses who played Disney's princess characters on Broadway as opposed to in film. The classic animation attendees include Jodi Be...
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Review: Ties of Bargains

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Ties of Bargains   by Tara Grayce  was one of three books I had left to read in the Tethered Hearts multi-author series . Though it wasn't my favorite of the series , it fits well with the theme of falling in love after a forced binding ritual. I enjoy that even though this series follows such a specific premise, every book I've read so far has the two protagonists bound together for vastly different reasons. In this one, the female lead is a fae mercenary tasked with delivering the male lead to his captor to fulfill a bargain. The book follows a traditional "road trip" formula and gets a bit repetitive before the satisfying reveal at the end. It takes place in the same world as her Court of Midsummer Mayhem series . Harm, the son of a powerful duke, would do anything to protect his family. When his older brother, the heir to the duchy, is poisoned by fae magic, his father trades him to the fae to save his older son. Harm goes willingly and meets Val, a mercenary who ...
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